Pristine
by windedeagle
Summary: Maerad and Cadvan start their journey, where they learn a little about the world and a lot about each other! Fun and fluff promised!
1. Chapter 1

MAERAD woke to the sound of water running in a fountain, and spring birds singing outside her window. In their haste to get to Innail, she had completely forgotten that the season was changing so rapidly. She flicked back the heavy blankets that surrounded her and went to the window. There, in the courtyard, she saw that the water in the fountain had broken through the ice that had in cased it, and the only signs of its once frozen nature were the large chunks of ice that floated in the basin. The bare trees now had new buds on their limbs, and a few sparrows picked at the thawing ground, hopping from side to side.

With a smile, Maerad withdrew, and exchanged her gown for a crimson dress that hung in the dresser – it was a little big through her waist and bust, but it was nothing a few hearty meals wouldn't fix. She combed out her hair, which felt soft and smooth after weeks of no washing, and was about to put on the new pair of soft leather boots someone had left her when there was a knock on her door. "Come in!" she said, and sat down on the bed to put on her shoes.

Cadvan opened the door and smiled at her – a warm, brilliant smile, with a hint of something else behind it. Something, she was sure, that was only for her.

"I was hoping you were up. Sylvia has made us a feast of a breakfast, and I didn't want you to miss it!" He came and took her hands, pulling her to her feet and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You need some meat on your bones before I take you on the road again, my dear."

"Why are you so happy this morning?" she asked with a smile, and he beamed down at her, and then pressed his lips to hers once. She remembered the night before, when they had walked along the streets of Innail, and he had kissed her until she couldn't breathe.

"What is there not to be happy about?" he asked dismissively when he pulled away, and let her go, releasing everything but her hand. "Now, let's not keep Sylvia waiting!"

Cadvan pulled Maerad down the hall, and she allowed herself to be pulled, taking in the sweet early light around them. They reached the dining hall, which was fragrant with the smell of warm food. Hem, Saliman, Malgorn, and Nelac were already seated, and talking about something easy. Irc was sitting on Hem's shoulder, preening his feathers.

"Good morning!" Sylvia said, coming and hugging Maerad tightly, making Cadvan release her hand. "Don't look at me like that, Cadvan! You will have to learn to share! Did you sleep well?"

"Oh, wonderfully, as always." She took the seat beside Cadvan, and he possessively took her hand again. "I'm afraid my dress is a bit loose, though."

Sylvia regarded her with a glance before sitting down, and then leaned over the table to fix her plate with roasted potatoes and meat pies. Cadvan filled her plate from the other side, with sweetened berries, toast with jam, and fried eggs, until she told both of them that she had had enough.

Hekibel was the last one to enter, and took her seat beside Saliman and squeezed his hand. She looked extremely beautiful in the morning light, filling out her dress perfectly, and Maerad took the extra helping of eggs that Cadvan pressed her to eat.

The subject arose about their departure, and Maerad felt a pang of hurt: they had all just arrived. Yet the thought that they would be traveling without danger did make her feel a little better.

"I would like to get back to Turbansk to see what can be done," Saliman said. "I have received word the damage is bad, but not beyond repair."

"But surely you can stay a little longer?" Maerad asked hopefully, and glanced at Hem. It was evident that he would be traveling to Turbansk, too.

"Of course we can. I have yet to get my fill of Sylvia's wonderful hospitality."

Sylvia smiled, and asked, "What about you two? You may stay as long as you wish, you know!"

The look in her eyes made Maerad's heart pang again. She knew that Sylvia wanted her to make Innail her home.

"I wanted to take Maerad to see Lirigon," said Cadvan, for her. "It's a pity she hasn't seen it before. From there, it's her decision."

Sylvia pushed the sad look away from her face. "Well, you all must stay for the Spring Turn at least. There is no working or studying on that day, and everyone feasts with their family and friends. It is a wonderful day indeed. And you should all wait to journey until the weather is warmer, anyway." She had pushed some more potatoes onto Maerad's plate as she spoke, and Maerad pushed them on Cadvan's plate when he wasn't looking. She felt that she might bust with her breakfast already.

They all took Sylvia's invitation, and then most of the party left, save Maerad, Cadvan, and Sylvia. Sylvia was stacking up empty plates, and Maerad jumped up to help.

"What are you going to do today?" she asked, taking the plates Maerad brought to her and stacking them with some others.

"I have no idea. I am suddenly not as busy as I have been for the past weeks!"

"Actually," said Cadvan, pulling his attention from the window he had been staring out, "I was going to collect some books for us to look over. Might as well get caught up on your Learning."

Maerad smiled. The thought of doing easy things like learning made her feel even more removed from the hard last few weeks of her life. "I like that idea," she told him, smiling down at him. He smiled back, then stood and took her arm.

"Thank you for the glorious breakfast, Sylvia. We will have Maerad as fat as a summer calf in a few days!"

"Very funny," Maerad said, and Cadvan once again towed her along out of the dining room and along the hall, then out the door into the cool spring morning.

There were people milling about the street, at their early morning talks, and as they passed they all regarded Maerad with the certain awe that they had earlier in the year. "I thought they were all over their shyness about the Maid of Innail," she said offhandedly to Cadvan, as a group of children stared at her in wonder from a street corner, to shy to wave.

"Yes, they are quite used to the Maid of Innail, but not so much the saver of Edil-Amarandh."

"Oh no," she quietly, biting her lip and looking over at Cadvan anxiously. "Is this how it is going to be everywhere, for all of my life?"

He laughed, and squeezed her hand. "Of all the things to be worried about, Maerad! But don't worry, dear – for where ever you will be, I will be there too, and you can push your awkwardness off on me."

"Oh, thanks," she said sarcastically, as they rounded the street that held the grand library. He smiled at her again, and they took the stairs to inside the library, where their eyes had to adjust to the subdued light that contrasted sharply with the brightness of the spring morning outside. Once they had their bearings, Cadvan pulled Maerad once again, this time to a shelf of books all bound in different colors of leather.

"A desperate attempt to keep the attention of youngsters while they learn – good thing we won't have to worry about that with you, though." He smiled at her, and handed her a book with a scene of foals in a bright meadow depicted on the front.

"_A Brief History of the World_," she read, and laughed. "What do foals have to do with history?"

He shrugged, handing her another book, this one a little less flashy. "As long as it keeps young Bards learning, right?"

She remembered the last time she had learned here – it had been with Dernhil. She looked behind her, and could see the closed door to his empty room. She wondered what he would think of her and Cadvan's love, and smiled despite herself. She was certain that he would approve, without any bit of jealously. He had had a great heart like that, she was sure.

Cadvan stirred her out of her thoughts by giving her a final book. "Now. I think we should find somewhere to study in the sun, and out of this dark library. Here, let me have those – they look as if they out weigh you." He took the books from her and led her back to Sylvia's, where they took advantage of an empty courtyard and its wrought iron table and chairs. It was warm, and out of the slight wind, and Maerad found she didn't even need her cloak.

"Now," said Cadvan, opening the book with the horses on it, "I know that you have sung the tragedy of Andomian and Beruldh, but have you ever read it?"

Maerad shook her head, staring at Cadvan's hands as he flipped through the thick book.

"Well . . . once I find it . . . ah, here is it! There is a great difference between singing and reading, my dear. So that is what we shall do this morning." He put the book in front of her, opened to a page that showed slumbering bears with snow gathered around their bodies. "Read," he told her. "And I'll listen."

"But surely you'll get bored!"

He took her left hand, the maimed one, and kissed it reassuringly. "I could never grow tired out your voice, sweet." She rolled her eyes. "Now read, and take your time."

She sighed, turning to the book, and began to read. She was a little unnerved at the beginning, as she was very out of practice, but the more she read, the faster the words came, and the better she could sound difficult words out. She read for three hours, finishing as soon as the midday bell rang. Cadvan listened the whole time without the slightest bit of boredom.

"Wonderful!" he said, when she was done. "Like a true reciter, if I do say so myself."

She laughed sarcastically. "I'm just happy I kept you awake." She leaned over, putting her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. "Reading can certainly tire you out."

He held her close for a moment, and kissed her hair. "How about I go get us something to eat, and you stay here and rest, then?"

She nodded and lifted her head, watching Cadvan go inside. She thought that she had never seen his so happy and carefree.

A chirp came from above, and Maerad looked up to see Irc peering at her from a dogwood. He swooped down, and landed gracefully on the table before her.

_What is that? _

_It's a book that I am trying to learn to read._

Irc fluffed his feathers. _I do not understand why you humans do that. Why not just tell each other what you want instead of writing it down?_

Maerad smiled. She had wondered the same thing a few times herself. _Well, _she finally answered_, if you write it down, it can last for many years._

Irc shook his head_. I still do not understand. Where is your mate?_

At this, Maerad laughed out loud. She had thought of many possible names for her and Cadvan, but had never considered mate. _Inside, getting food._

_Food? Is it time to eat again already? I must find Hem – he will make sure I get my share! _

Irc pecked her hand in farewell, and flew off to find Hem. Maerad watched him go, and then continued to watch the birds in the sky, content to think about nothing at all.

When Cadvan came back with food – a roasted chicken breast and rice, seasoned to be salty and filling – she told him of Irc's name for them. Cadvan laughed as well, and said, "It's better than anything I have came up with."

Maerad pushed the rice around her plate, biting her lip. "So exactly do you think we are?" she asked, looking up at him. His blue eyes were staring back at her in earnest.

"Actually, I wanted to speak to you about that. There are many possibilities for what we can do about – us. But, I was hoping, in a little part of my heart," he smiled at her, and she smiled back, "that you might consider making an honest man out of me, and marrying me."

Maerad spit out the rice she was eating.

"Or . . . not, if you would like."

She shook her head urgently, taking a sip of the wine he had brought her. "No! It's not that! You just – you surprised me, is all. I'm sorry for reacting like that."

They sat for a long moment in silence, and then he asked, very quietly, "So you wouldn't like to get married?"

Maerad had gone back to pushing her rice around her plate. The more she thought about it, the more she warmed up to the idea. A husband. She almost laughed at the thought. "Why would you like to marry me?" she asked, looking back up at him.

He smiled, a bit sadly, and sighed. "Well, I have thought long and hard on this. Even before I realized what I felt for you, and that you returned those feelings. I think of – of the people I have loved before, and how now, that I am older, I wish I had done them right." She knew he was speaking of Ceredin, and almost looked away, but he grabbed her hands and held her gaze even more earnestly than before. "And I love you, more than anything else, and I want to do you right by being your true husband, not just . . . a lover, or what have you. It is my truest desire."

Maerad smiled, and he smiled back, and pressed his lips to hers. She put her hands on either side of his face and held him there, kissing him gently. After a few long minutes, she pulled her lips away, and rested her forehead on his, staring into his eyes, which were the color of the sky on a cloudless day.

"I'll have to think about it."

"Oh, but don't keep me waiting for ever, please Maerad! My heart already aches . . ."

She released his face, and took his hand. "I'll give you an answer in the next few days, then."

He smiled, and kissed her cheek. "And just think – we can make a wedding trip out of our journey!"

She laughed, and hung onto his arm. She would have to speak with Sylvia very, very soon.

_*****So, I know that it might seem like a little too soon for them to get married, but I'm doing it all for a reason I swear! Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review. Even if it is just a "good" or a ":)" or even a period. I want to have 5 reviews before I post the next chapter. (Oh, and this chapter is brought to you by Death Cab for Cutie. Thanks Benjamin Gibbard. You're the !) _


	2. Chapter 2

LATER that day, Maerad found Sylvia in the kitchen, overseeing their evening meal. Hekibel was also there, talking to Sylvia about herbs as the Bard kneaded bread dough.

"Are you hungry?" Sylvia asked her, and nodded towards the cheese that was sitting before Hekibel.

"A little," she confessed, and took a slice of the cheese, which was sharp to the taste. "Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about, if you have a moment." Hekibel stood to leave, feeling out of place in their conversation, but Maerad bid her to stay. "Well," she began, watching Sylvia mix in some of her herb mixes to the dough, and then begin kneading again. "Cadvan has . . . he asked me what I think of marriage. For us."

Sylvia stopped kneading, and when Maerad looked up again she was in the older Bard's arms. Sylvia pulled away. "Oh, Maerad, dear! I am so happy for you . . . if marriage is what you desire?"

She shrugged, looking into Sylvia's eyes in earnest. "I really don't know. That's why I wanted to speak with you."

"I think you two would be wonderful!" said Hekibel, cutting herself another piece of cheese. "I _knew_ that you two would get married at the end of all of that!"

Maerad remembered the night that Hekibel had opened her eyes to her feelings about Cadvan, and smiled. Sylvia returned to her bread before it fell and said, "What exactly did you want to know, dear?"

"Well, you are my only friend how is married, and I guess I wanted to know what it is like."

Sylvia smiled, and took a pan from overhead and poured her dough into it. "It can be a little of everything. The worst thing is getting used to it – sharing a room, always in each other's name, always worrying about each other! Of course, there are fights, but those usually come to an end fairly easily.

"But there are many great things as well! Always having someone, knowing that when you're with them, you are safe and at home. And, of course, being in love – that is something that only grows with a marriage."

Maerad and Hekibel listened in earnest.

"Really, being married didn't change much for Malgorn and I – our love is still as fresh as spring chickens, even after thirty years!"

Thirty years? Maerad wondered. Sylvia hardly looked thirty years old herself. She wondered how long Cadvan and she would be married. The thought made her smile, despite herself, and she played with the hilt of the knife they had used to cut cheese.

"I think I would like to be married," she finally said. "Cadvan wants to get married now, before we leave again. I think I have brought back a lot of old, hard feelings for him."

Sylvia nodded. "I can understand that, at least. Not marrying Ceredin has been one of his greatest grieves, over the years. I think he only wants to do you right by making you his wife."

Maerad nodded, looking again at the polished wooden table before them. Hekibel put her arm around Maerad, and said, "I think you should. Won't it be great, to have someone to call husband?"

Maerad smiled. "I know. It's another one of those things I never thought I would get." She laughed and shook her head. "So why is this decision so hard?"

"I think," Sylvia said, finishing her bread and handing it to a cook to be placed in the oven, "that you will have to trust your Knowing on this. It is the best way to deal with the ways of the heart."

* * *

Maerad decided to stop thinking about Cadvan's proposal until she could really concentrate on it. Still, at dinner, Cadvan could help but ask if she had been thinking over what they had spoken about.

"Yes," she said, and gave him a little smile. "But I am still thinking, Cadvan. Give me a little more time."

He sighed, but didn't push her any further. As soon as dinner was over, Cadvan walked her to her room, where he kissed her a long goodnight.

Once she was alone, and in her nightgown, with her hair tied away from her face, she decided to think. Maerad laid down in her big, soft bed and stared at the ceiling. Then, slowly, she closed her eyes and turned her mind to her Bardic powers, too her deeper Knowing, where many of her daily questions seemed trivial. She ran the question of Cadvan and her through it, and got a surer feeling than she had felt all day. Still, she opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling again, she had her doubts.

Maerad knew instantly that her dream was a foredream, only because of the feeling of reality it possessed. She was watching herself and Cadvan, standing on a shining hill, over looking something out of her field of vision. Cadvan took her hand, and she saw matching silver rings on both of their fingers, and he kissed her gently.

Maerad sat up, with a start, and looked at the wall across from the bed. It was very early in the morning, the sun just now making it's shining appearance. She got out of her warm bed and drew on a dress the color of lilacs, then made her way down the hall to Cadvan's room. She met no one in the hall, but could hear early morning commotion downstairs, perhaps in the kitchen. Without hesitation, Maerad opened the door, and saw Cadvan still asleep, wrapped tightly in his blankets, lying on his side.

His face looked as innocent as a child's, despite the scars that wrapped around one eye, which were a stark white compared to the rest of his pale skin. Maerad stepped forward quietly, shutting the door behind her and sitting on the end of the bed. She placed her hand on his cheek, and Cadvan stirred, cracking open his eyes and, seeing her, sat up and shook his head, as if to clear it.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, and took her hands in his.

"Yes, everything is fine, Cadvan." He relaxed a little, and she smiled at him and kissed him good morning. She was very aware that his chest was bare, pale and sparingly dotted with freckles. She longed to place her hand on in, over his heart, but withheld herself. Once she pulled away, she said, "I just have to tell you something. Something I decided on last night."

His face broke into a brilliant smile, and he pushed back a lock of her hair, and asked, "What is it, my dear?"

She smiled back, looking at him with grave happiness, and said, "I think we should be married. It's the only thing, I think, that we _can_ do!"

He laughed, and kissed her again. This kiss reminded her of their first kiss, in the Hutmoors, it was so full of unbridled joy. This time, she did but her hands on his chest, then slipped them to his warm back, and held him as closely as he held her. They kissed for a long time, breaking away occasionally for a breath, then returning.

The dawn bell broke the silence of the morning, but Maerad could scarcely hear it over the pounding of blood in her ears. Cadvan, however, heard it, and took his lips away, but continued to hold Maerad for a long time.

She decided the first person she should tell her decision to, other than Cadvan, was Hem. She found him after breakfast and asked him if he wanted Maerad to show him around.

"Sure!" he said, enthusiastically, and she took his arm and led him out into the cool morning. From there she showed him the library, the statues, and the little courtyards she herself had only discovered lately.

They decided to rest in one, a small, paved on with a fountain that held a sculpted fish, with water shooting out of its mouth.

"Hem," she began, and stopped, losing her words. "Hem, you know that I love Cadvan deeply, right?"

He nodded, and looked suddenly into her eyes. "Why?"

Maerad sighed, and took his hands. "I think we may get married, soon."

Hem's mouth dropped wide open, and he had t struggle to close it. "What? Why would you want to get married? You're too young!"

She smiled, squeezing his hands, wanting him to be happy for her badly. "You know age is nothing to a Bard."

"Exactly! You have your whole life to get married!"

Maerad sighed, and looked to the fountain for words. "Hem, it's no that. It's . . . it's that it just feels right. My Knowing is telling me that it is right. Maybe Cadvan is the home I have always longed for."

"But . . . you have me." Hem gave her a look that made her heart drop. It was like she had taken away his soul.

"I know that, Hem. Cadvan could never be to me what you are. You are my brother. And you always will be, and nothing could change that."

He pulled his hands away. "But you love him more."

Maerad shook her head. "That is strictly untrue. I love you two differently; not one more than the other."

Hem pouted, but finally looked up at Maerad. "I'm being selfish," he admitted. She smiled, proud of him.

"It's alright to be a little jealous, Hem. But you shouldn't be – I love you more than I ever have."

He smiled, too, and sighed, taking her hand again. "At least I know you will be taken care of."

She smiled. "Exactly. And I'll bet, when you go back to Turbansk, you'll find someone you love too."

He suddenly looked pained, and Maerad wondered why, but he pushed the expression away and stood, pulling his sister with him. "I need to find Irc; he has been gone since nearly dawn, pestering the local birds, no doubt."

Maerad nodded. "Go on. I need to speak with Sylvia, anyways." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then embraced him. "I'm very proud of you, you know," she said. He smiled down at her.

"I know. I'm quite proud of myself."

The nest order of business was to speak with Sylvia. Maerad found the older Bard in a room that appeared to be her study, writing in a thick book. She looked up when Maerad knocked on the doorframe.

"Come in, dear! Have a seat." She motioned to the seat in front of the large redwood desk. Maerad sat. "Are you still undecided about getting married?"

Maerad shook her head, and smiled. "No, I'm pretty sure of myself now. It seems only right to be married. I just don't want to make a big ordeal of it."

Sylvia beamed, and came around the table to hug her, then returned to her large cushioned chair. "It doesn't have to be anything you don't want it to be, Maerad. It can just be the few friends we already have gathered here – plus Indik, I'm sure. We can have it in the large courtyard, and Malgorn can perform the ceremony."

Maerad gave her a nervous smile. "You've been thinking about this haven't you?"

Sylvia smiled back. "Well, maybe a little . . . How would you like to get married at Spring Turn. It is a celebration of family!"

"That's in a week, right?" Sylvia nodded, and Maerad smiled halfway. "It's as good as any other time, I guess. Oh, but there is so much to be done!"

"Don't worry about any of that," Sylvia said, flipping her hands in a dismissive manor. "All you have to do is pick out you're dress, and I'll take care of everything else!"

"Dress?" Maerad asked helplessly. Sylvia laughed.

"We will go about that in the morning. Now, tell me your favorite thing to eat, so I know what to cook!"

That night, after dinner, the guests and the hosts of the house gathered in the music room. Maerad sat on a small couch beside Cadvan, and whispered in his ear, "Do you think we should tell them?"

He smiled down at her, grabbing her hand. "It only seems right to tell them, seeing that Sylvia and you already have the wedding planned!"

She blushed. Sylvia must have caught up with him before Maerad had. "Not entirely."

Cadvan winked at her, and kissed her head, then held out his glass and said, "I'm afraid that Maerad and I will be ruining your peaceful Spring Turn!" Maerad elbowed him in the side. Everyone but Sylvia (who was beaming) and Hem (who had a slight, uncomfortable smile on his face) looked at them in curiosity. "For," Cadvan finished, "Maerad has decided to make an honest man out of me, and marry me!"

There was a collective surprised gasp, and Saliman said, "May the Light bless her heart, for marrying such a man!" Then he stood, and came to hug them both. Hekibel followed, a radiant smile on her face, and then everyone else offered up their congratulations.

Hem was the last to come to them and, after hugging Maerad, embraced Cadvan. "I guess you will be my brother, now," he said, a little uncertainly, and smiled.

"Yes, it seems so," Cadvan said. "I am proud of having such a great brother."

Hem blushed, and returned to his seat. After that, someone suggested that they take out their lyres, and they played well into the night, until Maerad's eyes were closing with exhaustion. Cadvan walked her to her room, his arm around her.

"I'm so glad that is over with!" she said, putting her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, you aren't quite done with being the leading lady, my dear. At the wedding, no one will take their eyes off of you the entire night."

She groaned, and he laughed. They had reached her room by now, but instead of telling Cadvan goodnight, she pulled him through the threshold of the door and shut it.

"I want to play some more," she said, and took out her lyre again. "I'm not tired any more."

Cadvan took out his lyre again as well, and sat by her on the bed. They began to play a song about spring, which was more of a children's story than anything else, but Maerad liked it. Once they finished, they sat together in the silence and listened to the late night sounds of the Bardhouse.

"Cadvan?" Maerad asked quietly, not wanting to speak too loudly in the silence.

"Humm?"

"Will you tell me about Ceredin?"

Cadvan smiled sadly at the coverlet. For a long time, he didn't say anything, and Maerad began to wonder if he wasn't going to answer. Then he sighed and said, "I guess you have a right to know about her." He looked up at her, and sighed again, his gaze dropping. "I first met Ceredin when I was twenty, a very young Bard by many standards. She was beautiful, which was why I was first attracted to her, but she also had a fiery personality – stubborn, proud, and witty, quite like yourself.

"I came to lover her very easily. There was hardly ever a time we were apart. We studied together, ate together – no, we were never apart. I thought I was going to marry her."

He was silent for some time, and Maerad took his hand. He sighed, and pushed on.

"Then there was the accident. I hardly survived the following year. I wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, and wouldn't even get out of bed. By that time, I had been band from the Schools, but my sister's husband, who was on the brink of death himself, took me in, and Saliman came and visited me all he could, pushing me forward. Eventually, I could live with myself."

Cadvan was quite again, but suddenly looked up at Maerad in earnest. "I've come to learn that Fate has a way, though. I hard, bitter way, but it's true all the same. If Ceredin had lived, I would have never taken to the rode. I would have never found you." He pushed himself up on the bed, so that he could turn towards her and take both her hands, and whispered, "Maerad, it hurts me to say this, for Ceredin's sake, but my love for you is deeper than I felt for her. She was my first love, and I did love her dearly, but you are the love of my life, and never, ever doubt that."

Maerad sat, blown away by his words. Then she whispered, "You are all I have ever loved."

He smiled, but a dark shadow still hung over his face. "I know that, dear." Cadvan leaned forward, and kissed her lips, and held her close. Maerad closed her eyes, feeling his warm chest beneath her cheek.

"Thank you for tell me, Cadvan."

"You are very welcome," he whispered back, and kissed her hair and sighed. "I suppose I should go. People will start to talk if I'm not in my room soon." But he held her fast, his fingers stroking her hair, until the midnight bell rang.

_:) hope you liked. Please please please review! Anything at all. And thanks to all who have reviewed/added me to alert/favorites. _


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